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Karzai Urges Pakistan To Help End Taliban Insurgency

Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeated his call for Pakistan today to help end a 10-year Taliban insurgency.

Karzai, who began a two-day visit to Pakistan today, was speaking at a joint news conference with President Asif Ali Zardari.

"The brotherly role of Pakistan, and together with us, in defeating extremism and terrorism and working with us to bring stability in both countries will go a long way in providing Afghanistan that capacity and that environment which will also conversely but positively affect Pakistan," Karzai said.

Zardari pledged Pakstan's support for its neighbor in the fight against militants, saying that peace in Afghanistan is critical to the whole region.

Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been hampered by mistrust.

Both Afghanistan and the United States say Pakistan is not doing enough to prevent militants from crossing the border to attack American-led NATO troops and Afghan security forces.

The visit comes after U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2, which has heightened calls within the United States for a peace settlement in Afghanistan.